This application is based upon and claims benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-326617 filed on Oct. 24, 2001, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger such as a condenser for use in a refrigeration cycle of an automotive air-conditioner and to a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
An example of an automobile heat exchanger that includes a structure for mounting the heat exchanger on an automobile, is disclosed in JP-A-11-347666. In this heat exchanger, a bracket for mounting the heat exchanger on the automobile is staked to a U-shaped side plate, and the U-shaped side plate having the bracket is assembled to a core unit, and then the assembled core unit is brazed in a furnace to form a unitary body of the core unit. In this manner, the bracket is preliminarily coupled to the U-shaped side plate, and then the bracket is firmly connected to the side plate by brazing.
There has been a problem, however, in such a conventional heat exchanger. When assembling the side plate, with which the bracket is already coupled, to the core unit, it is required to provide a complex jig for keeping the side plate together with the core unit. Further, positions of the bracket sticking out of the side plate are restricted by the shape of the jig. In addition, since the bracket extends to an outside of the assembled core unit, the bracket may interfere with a conveyor structure or other obstacles when the core unit is carried to the brazing furnace or to other places.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an improved heat exchanger to which the bracket is easily connected at any position of the side plate. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing such an improved heat exchanger.
A heat exchanger such as a condenser for use in an automotive air-conditioner is composed of plural elongate tubes, plural fins laminated between the tubes, a pair of header tanks connected to both longitudinal ends of the tubes. An upper side plate is connected to a top surface of a laminated unit composed of the tubes and fins, and a bottom side plate is connected to a bottom surface of the laminated unit. Both side plates are formed in a U-shape in its cross-section, opening to outside of the heat exchanger. The side plates serve to increase mechanical strength of the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger is mounted on a mounting structure of an automotive vehicle via brackets connected to the side plate.
The bracket formed in an L-shape is connected to the side plate via a mounting member made of rubber. The mounting member includes a rectangular portion embraced by sidewalls of the U-shaped side plate and a cylindrical portion coupled to the bracket. The rectangular portion of the mounting member is positioned between the sidewalls of the U-shaped side plate and is connected to the side plate by staking end portions of the sidewalls. The mounting member is coupled to the bracket by forcibly and resiliently inserting the mounting member into a hole formed on a horizontal plate of the L-shaped bracket.
The components of the heat exchanger except the bracket and the mounting member are all assembled to form a unitary body held by holding jigs. Then, the assembled unit is put in a brazing furnace where the components constituting the unit are all solidly connected to one another by brazing. Then, the mounting member coupled to the bracket is connected to the side plate by staking the sidewalls of the side plate.
Grooves may be formed between the cylindrical portion and the rectangular portion of the mounting member, so that the mounting member is more easily and firmly connected to the side plate by accommodating the staked end portions of the sidewalls in the grooves. A reinforcing member made of an aluminum plate or a material harder than rubber may be embedded in the rectangular portion of the mounting member to secure a higher connecting strength between the mounting member and the side plate.
According to the present invention, the bracket is connected to the heat exchanger via the mounting member by staking after the heat exchanger is brazed. Therefore, the holding jigs keeping the shape of assembled unit in the brazing process are simplified. Further, the number of the brackets and their positions on the side plate are arbitrarily selected without being restricted by holding jigs.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a better understanding of the preferred embodiment described below with reference to the following drawings.